Golf tee



April 5, 1949. D. A. M lNNES ET AL GOLF TEE Filed Feb. 25, 1946 V INVENTORS DUNCAN A. MAG INNES J. ALLGOEWER W AT TORNEVS ALBERT Patented Apr. 5, 1949 GOLF TEE Duncan A. Maclnnes and Albert J. Allgoewer, San Francisco, Calif.; said Allgoewer assignor to said Maclnnes Application February 25, 1946, Serial No. 649,864

Claims.

This invention relates to golfing equipment, and more particularly to a golf tee.

Among the principal objects of this invention are the following: To provide a golf tee not susceptible to loss in normal use; to provide a golf tee having a ball supporting member adapted to offer no resistance to the passage of a club head; to provide a golf tee practically indestructible in normal use; and to provide a golf tee having an anchoring peg, a swivel arm for supporting a golf ball, and novel means for attaching the arm to the peg.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the golf tee embodied in the invention with a golf ball supported there- Figure 2 is a view in elevation of the golf tee with a golf ball supported thereon;

Figure 3 is a view in section taken along lines 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a view in section taken along lines 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing for more specific details of the drawing, the golf tee comprises an anchoring peg indicated generally at l2 and a wire arm 14 having at one end thereof an offset loop H3 and at the other end thereof a leg l8 bent at a right angle to the arm M. The peg l2, unitary as to structure and being preferably made of a metal, such as aluminum, comprises a pointed end portion a bevelled shoulder 22, a cylindrical upper portion 24 having a peripheral channel 26 therein, a drilled hole 28 extending axially into the cylindrical portion 24 past the peripheral channel 26, and a drilled hole 30 substantially larger in diameter than the drilled hole 28 and extending diametrically through the peg at the channel 26.

In assembling the golf tee, the leg i8 is introduced into the drill hole 23, said hole being of such a diameter as to comfortably receive the leg, and the leg is then swaged within the peg 12 through the hole 31! to provide a swaged portion 32 on the leg l8 to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the peg l2 and said leg.

The pointed portion 20 of the peg l2 may be inserted in the ground to any desired depth limited by the bevelled shoulder 22, and a golf ball 34 is then placed on the loop 16. The arm 54 is normally between the peg l2 and the golfer and is substantially aligned with the golf club when the club is in the position of address. When the i the diameter of the axial ball 34 is struck, the arm l4 freely rotates, the swaged portion 32 of the leg 1'8 serving the twofold purpose of locking the arm I4 against disengagement'from the peg l2 and causing a minimum of frictional resistance during free rotation of the arm. Due to the free rotation characteristic of the arm i l, it is practically impossible to damage said arm by an inadvertent striking of the arm with the driving head of the golf club.

While the preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it is understood that modifications of this embodiment may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A golf tee comprising an anchoring peg, an axial passage in the upper portion thereof, a diametral passage intercepting the axial passage and having a larger diameter than said axial passage, a spring wire arm having a loop at one end and a leg at the other end, said leg being freely rotatable in the axial passage and having a portion with a lateral dimension greater than passage in registry with the diametral passage.

2. A golf tee comprising an anchoring peg having a pointed lower portion and a cylindrical upper portion, an axial passage extending inwardly of the cylindrical portion, a diametral passage through the cylindrical portion intercepting the anal passage and being larger than said passage, a spring wire arm having a loop at one end and a leg at the other end normal to the arm, said leg being freely rotatable in the axial passage and having a portion with a lateral dimension greater than the diameter of the axial passage registering with the diametral passage.

3. A golf tee comprising an anchoring peg having a pointed lower portion and a cylindrical upper portion, a peripheral channel in the cylindrical portion, an axial passage extending within the cylindrical portion and past the channel, a diametral passage through the channel intercepting the axial passage and being larger than said passage, a spring wire arm having a ballsupporting loop at one end and a leg at the other end normal to the arm, said leg being received within the axial passage and being freely rotatable therein, and said leg having a swaged portion registering with the diametral passage.

4. A golf tee comprising an anchoring peg having a pointed lower portion and a cylindrical upper portion, a circular peripheral channel in the cylindrical portion, an axial passage extending within the cylindrical portion and past the channel, a diametral passage larger than the axial passage extending through the cylindrical portion at the channel and intercepting the axial passage, a spring wire arm having a ball-supporting loop at one end and a leg at the other end normal to the arm and extending within the axial passage, said leg being slightly smaller in diameter than the axial passage and being freely rotatable therein, and said leg being locked against relative longitudinal movement with respect to the peg by a swaged portion on the leg registering with the diametral passage.

5. A golf tee comprising an anchoring peg, an axial passage in the upper portion thereof, another passage in said peg of larger diameter than said axial passage and transversely intercepting said axial passage, an arm having a loop at one end and leg at the other end normal to the arm REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1907 Number 

